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Superman Issue 20
Superman #20 is the 20th issue of DC's New 52 superman comic. Synopsis Hector Hammond is looking for Superman to save him from the New God known as Orion in “Metropolis Burning!” Review The book opens on a very intriguing scene. Ma and Pa Kent are visiting Clark and his family in Metropolis. The City of Tomorrow has never looked more futuristic, Lana Lang-Kent more stunning. And they have a 'little girl', a cute little puppy. It's Clark's perfect life ... loving parents who understand you and a loving wife who accepts everything about you. There are some nice lines here like Lana saying she knew how crazy her life would when she agreed to be married to Clark as well as Pa talking about Clark's stubborn streak, like not giving up against Doomsday. We're about to meet Clark and Lana's little girl when ... SCRASHK WHAM! Superman is thoroughly knocked out of it by the New God Orion, convinced by the 'Prophecy Wall' that for a universe to live, Superman must die. There follows a massive fight between Last Son of Krypton and Apokolips' Dog of War which is only ended by the appearance of Wonder Woman. Superman's current girlfriend and Orion's ally, she's able to calm the situation and use her Lasso of Truth on Superman and reveal that while he isn't the problem, he does have one lurking in his subconscious - telepathic villain Hector Hammond ... Scott Lobdell writes his second knockout script in a row, giving us a hugely entertaining fight scene in which Superman and Orion can really lash out for once. He gives good Wonder Woman too, with Diana choosing peaceful tactics over war as first resort. And Green Lantern villain Hammond gets the line of the week. My favourite bit of the issue, though, is the opening with Clark and Lana, a pairing I've always loved, wed. I adore seeing Clark living alternate lives, with Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' classic 'For the man who has everything' being another great example. I only wish there'd been a few more pages of it, though this issue's ending tells us we've not seen the last of alt-Lana - I suspect she am not Clark's No.1, wink wink. And how intriguing that in Superman's most private fantasies he's married not to Lois, not to Diana, but to Lana. With regular artist Kenneth Rocafort away, Aaron Kuder steps in to draw this issue and ... wow. I've rarely seen such a big, bombastic fight scene, with Kuder's cover perfectly previewing his interior approach - big panels, superb close-ups, a touch of Frank Quitely, sound effects that are pure Pop. If anyone at DC is reading this, a suggestion: have Kuder on standby to take over from Jim Lee when he departs the new Superman Unchained title. He's more than ready. This book gets stronger by the month, and is now one of my DC favourites. There's no way I'd have been able to say that a couple of months ago ... I only hope the momentum isn't derailed by upcoming crossovers. Perhaps DC's higher-ups will notice how satisfying Lobdell's scripts are when he's allowed to concentrate on his own story rather than serve some supposedly bigger picture - because the pictures here are plenty big for me. Gallery Pictures Superman-20.jpg Superman1-20.jpg Superma2-20.jpg Superma3-20.jpg Superma4-20.jpg Category:Comic Books Category:Prime Earth Universe Category:A to Z